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The Black Heir	By : gpsassi Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Voldemort Views: 42493 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 25
- 26
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created and owned by JK
Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books,
Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being
made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

AN: Thanks to all the reviewers! I forever appreciate your comments and
I�m glad that you�re liking this story so far.

I can�t believe this story is over 200,000 words already, there�s still
so much that will happen. I dread to imagine the final word count of this
story. �Sighs- Anyway, I hope you won�t be discouraged to read it.

Chapter
26 - Second Task

Orion had a couple of very busy weeks. Right after coming back from the
holidays, they went through the dark ritual at Human Transformation to discover
their true animagus form. To Orion�s and Master Golmirn�s surprise, Orion�s
ritual produced the image of one of the species of the Wyvern, just like the
one in Durmstrang�s coat of arms. It was a lion-sized dragon, with two eagle-like
legs, eagle�s claws on its wingtips, a barbed tail ending in a spade and a
small basilisk head. Master Golmirn happily explained to him that a Wyvern
symbolized power and endurance, destruction and war. It was a magical cross
between three animals: a dragon, an eagle and a basilisk. Orion was quite
perplexed to discover that this was his true form and after the class ended, he
had pulled Master Golmirn to a side and confessed that he was already able to
transform into an eagle. Master Golmirn had looked at him as if he were a
fascinating and rare specimen and explained that there was no doubt that the
Wyvern was his intended animagus form, but that if he could transform into a
simpler form it could be that he had some metamorphagi blood in him. Orion had
pondered long about it and had finally remembered that Sirius had told him that
his niece, the daughter of Andromeda Tonks, was a metamorphagus. Orion
concluded that while he wasn�t a metamorphagus, the Black line certainly
carried that characteristic; that would explain his great ability in Human
Transformation and the speed in which he had accomplished his eagle form. And
also those weird episodes during his childhood when Aunt Petunia impatiently
cut all his hair only to find out the next morning that it had grown back, much
to her horror. It also made sense that he could transform into an eagle, since
it had some of the characteristics of a Wyvern. Orion was aware that his true
Wyvern form would be much harder and take much longer to accomplish. On the
other hand, he was glad that Calypso and Lezander also had animagi forms.
Calypso�s was a black poisonous asp with a pattern of crimson diamonds on its
back, while Lezander�s was a gorgeous black stallion. Orion thought that both
represented them very well; Calypso was as sly and intelligent as a snake and
Lezander was as noble and strong as a stallion.

Durmstrang�s classes were getting tougher as well, particularly the Dark
Arts. Romulus Rosier, true to his word, was teaching them more complex
nonverbal dark spells and was now starting with wandless magic, after having
covered the Unforgivables. By now, Calypso and Viktor Vlonski were quite good
at the Cruciatus Curse, though Orion had to admit that of the two of them,
Calypso was the one who appeared to enjoy it the most. He sometimes cringed
when he saw her elated face when she cast it to the bunnies they used for
practice. She resembled Bellatrix in those instances and it made him shudder.
He also cast it without remorse but he couldn�t say he enjoyed torturing white
fluffy bunnies. Only when he imagined it was Dumbledore or Pettigrew instead of
the bunny, was he able to attain satisfaction from it. Lezander was
exceptionally good at the Imperious Curse and Orion, as his practice partner,
had to struggle hard to throw off Lezander�s Imperious. Loki and Orion were the
only ones who already cast a successful Avada Kedavra, much to Calypso�s
annoyance since she was still struggling with giving her bunny more than a nose
bleed when casting the killing curse.

Every single minute that he could spare, he spent it on Durmstrang�s
ship, practicing in isolation his dark magic. He was working in making the
flames and water-ice adopt shapes useful in defense and attack. As the weeks
went by, he was able to summon his magic much quicker and with less required
concentration but he still had a long way to go. Orion had also started to
train with both his Phoenix and the Death and Life wands. It was difficult to
cast spells simultaneously with both wands but he was determined to train until
he became an ambidextrous dueler.

The Second Task was a week away and Orion and Calypso still hadn�t
unraveled the mystery of the egg. They were coming out from the owlerly of
Durmstrang�s ship; Orion had gone there to send a reply to Sebastien Valois�
letter, since the wizard had been writing to him since winter holidays and
Calypso was sending a letter to her father. She had taken the custom of
carrying the blasted egg everywhere with her, in case some inspiration suddenly
sprang at her in the least expected moment. As they were crossing the main
deck, they saw Viktor Krum in his swimming trunks about to take a plunge into
the icy lake.

�Er- Viktor, you are aware that we are in the middle of winter, right?�
asked Orion bemused, �What are you doing?�

Krum looked at them from his shoulder and said impassively, �I�m going
for a svimm. It�s a good exercise to build stamina. You should try it.� And
without further ado, he leaped from the plank and dived into the lake. They
could already see him swimming towards the shore.

Orion turned to look at Calypso, shaking his head at Krum�s insanity. He
barely had time to see the thoughtful expression on her face turn into
triumphant realization, when she brusquely pushed him over the board.

Orion hit the icy water with a surprised shriek. He frantically swam up
to the surface, rapidly moving his limbs to get some warmth in his body in the
midst of the freezing water.

When he broke through the surface, he spluttered, �Cal-ypso, are you
insane?! Why did you do that?!�

Calypso was looking down at him from high above on the deck, with a
smirk on her face. She replied with a yell, �Catch!�

Orion instinctively caught the incoming egg and Calypso yelled
excitedly, �Open it! Open it underwater!�

Orion�s eyes widened in realization and he dove into the icy water and
turned the small golden knob of the egg. Instantly, a melodic voice coming from
the egg reached his ears: �Come seeks us where our voices sound, we cannot
sing above the ground. An hour long you have to look to recover what we took.�

Orion closed the egg, brandished his wand and cast a powerful propulsion
spell. He shot from the lake like a bullet and painfully hit the wooden deck of
their ship. He coughed and spluttered while Calypso cast drying and warming
spells on him.

As he rose, Calypso asked impatiently, �Well?�

Orion scowled at her, �Could have told me what you discovered instead of
pushing me into the lake, you know?!�

Calypso waved her hand dismissively, �It was faster this way.� Then she
said excitedly, �Well, did it work? What�s the clue?�

Orion smirked at her, �I shouldn�t tell you, just to punish you.�

�Orion!� said Calypso crossly, �If it wasn�t for me you would have never
worked it out.�

Orion gave her a sly smile, �Perhaps you�re right. I guess you deserve a
little treat.� He ignored her indignant huff and continued, �The voice from the
egg said that I have an hour to look for what they took. I believe 'they' are
merpeople since it said that they can�t sing above the ground. That also explains
why we didn�t solve the egg before, we were looking for terrestrial magical
creatures-�

�Yes, exactly,� interrupted Calypso smugly, �That�s what I realized when
Krum dove into the lake. So I suppose the lake has merpeople and you�ll have to
go into it and look for whatever they�re going to take from you. What spell are
you going to use to breathe underwater for an hour?�

Orion smirked at her, �I already have several in mind. It�s going to be
a piece of cake.�

That night, as he sat alone in his bed, he decided to talk to Phineas�
portrait. He had prolonged it as much as possible, since he didn�t want to
report to Voldemort so soon after their confrontation. But a month and a half
had already passed by and Voldemort hadn�t summoned him yet. According to
Calypso, who heard it from her father, Voldemort and some of his Inner Circle
had been traveling abroad to meet more dark families and gain support. That was
wonderful in Orion�s view, since Voldemort should be more pacified by now and
it kept him busy and without time to spare to summon him. He took the shrunk
portrait from his trunk and enlarged it a little bit. He tapped it with his
wand and called Phineas� name.

Soon, the old wizard appeared in the portrait, wearing a dark blue
regal-looking sleeping robe, �Ah, young Orion. Finally got time to speak to
your old many-times-great granduncle?�

�Sorry, Phineas,� said Orion bashfully, �I had a lot on my mind. The
Tournament and classes-�

�Never mind, never mind,� said Phineas dismissively, �I guess you want
to ask me what the old goat has been up to?�

�Yes,� grunted Orion, �I believe you heard what he told me when we had
tea in his office?�

Phineas� eyes glinted in anger, �Indeed I did. The gall of the man to
say that my great-great-great-grand nephew deserved such a fate! And to say
that the Tonks are better than the Malfoys! A family of mudbloods and
bloodtraitors! Why, I have never heard such an absurdity before. Disgusting
muggle-loving fools-�

�Er-yes, you�re quite right,� said Orion quickly, interrupting Phineas�
ramblings, �Phineas, I need to know anything you can tell me about Dumbledore,
specifically if you�ve seen him talking with Neville Longbottom in his office.�

�With the Longbottom boy?� said Phineas pensively, �Yes, he�s been up to
the old coot�s office a couple of times this year.�

�He has?� said Orion excitedly, �What did they talk about?�

�Well, nothing very interesting,� replied Phineas, �Just told the boy
about his parents, how they were powerful aurors that had protected him from
Death Eaters. Dumbledore told him about the Dark Lord, how his parents�
condition was the Dark Lord's fault and that he needed to be stopped; that
Dumbledore believed that the world wasn�t through with Lord Voldemort yet, that
he suspected that he might be back. Dumbledore also told the boy that he needed
to do better in Defense Against the Dark Arts, that Alastor Moody was going to
tutor him after class.�

Orion said thoughtfully, �Just as I suspected, he�s preparing Longbottom
for the war.� Then he pierced Phineas with his eyes and asked quietly, �Did
Dumbledore ever told Longbottom anything indicating that Longbottom�s duty was
to confront the Dark Lord?�

Phineas looked at him perplexed, �That pathetic boy fighting the Dark
Lord? That�s preposterous!� He frowned and added quietly, �But now that I think
about it, Dumbledore could have subtlety implied it. He never said so openly,
but he filled the boy with heroic notions of fighting against the Dark; how it
was every light wizards� duty to stop Lord Voldemort from taking over the
world. Dumbledore told the boy that he had been the only child to survive a
Death Eater attack, that his parents had sacrificed themselves for him and that
it could have possibly given him a protection of sorts. It didn't sound very
convincing to my ears but the boy seemed to believe it. Dumbledore said that he
carried powerful blood in him.� Phineas snorted, �The Longbottoms were powerful
but that boy didn�t inherit any of their abilities. Why Dumbledore is taking
such an interest in that boy is anyone�s guess.�

Orion hummed and asked, �Do you remember anything else? Has Dumbledore
done anything unusual?�

�He�s away from Hogwarts frequently,� replied Phineas thoughtfully, �He
seems to be very busy. He�s also restless. Why, I have never seen him using his
pensieve as much as he has this year.�

Orion�s eyes widened and he asked eagerly, �He has a pensieve? In his
office?�

Phineas smirked at him, �Yes, behind his library. You have to pull
The Greatests Headmasters of Hogwarts and the shelves open to reveal the
pensieve behind them.�

�Thanks Phineas,� said Orion excitedly, �That�s great information. And
have you seen an Invisibility Cloak in his office?�

Phineas frowned in thought, �Years ago I saw him pull out an
Invisibility Cloak from his top drawer and look at it thoughtfully for a while.
But that drawer is heavily warded. He has never taken it out since then.�

Orion�s eyes sparkled in triumph and he quickly asked, �Phineas, how can
I get into the old coot�s office without being detected?�

�You need a password for the gargoyle to let you in. I could probably
get it for you by asking some of the portraits by the entrance; a couple of
them owe me some favors,� said Phineas with a smug smirk, �You�ll need to
disillusion yourself and freeze the portraits of the Headmasters and somehow
get rid of Fawkes. And learn how to dismantle powerful wards. You could
probably break through Dumbledore�s using powerful dark spells. Then be certain
to get rid of your magical imprint, just use �Vanquio Meuprintus�, and
that would do the trick.�

Orion beamed at him, �Thank you, Phineas! I owe you.�

�Anything for you, my boy,� replied Phineas contently, �We Blacks have
to help one another.�

�Thanks,� said Orion gratefully. Then he added thoughtfully, �Tell me
Phineas, has there ever been Necromancers in our family?�

Phineas� eyebrows shot to his hairline, �Necromancers? Not that I�m
aware of. Though it�s difficult to know if we had one centuries ago.�

Orion cocked an eyebrow inquisitively and Phineas explained, �Branches of
dark families changed names from their main lines centuries ago, as they formed
their own houses and legacy, so it�s very hard to construct a family treeline
beyond eight centuries back. It could be possible that one of our ancestors was
a Necromancer but that the information was lost in time if he held another
family name. But I doubt it, they�re very unique and in all my knowledge of
Black history there has never been a Black who even had a sparkle of
necromantic power.�

Orion sighed in disappointment. The only way to know was to get into his
vaults in Gringotts but he couldn�t do it yet because the goblins would see his
scar; they could see through blood glamours and even see through clothes, so he
couldn�t conceal it. He would have to wait until his identity as Harry Potter
was revealed. And even then, if the Necromancer hadn�t been a Black, then his
journals wouldn�t be in the vaults. He was certain that one of his ancestors
had been a Necromancer, it was the only explanation for his necromantic powers,
but who knew what the Necromancer's family name had been.

He thanked Phineas once more and the old wizard promised to give him the
password to Dumbledore�s office each time it was changed. Orion planned to
research thoroughly about all the spells he would need for his expedition into
the old coots office. The main problem was Fawkes. How could he get rid of the
bloody flaming turkey? And he also had to choose a time when Dumbledore was
away from his office, busy somewhere else. He would have to create a diversion
or perhaps wait for something to happen and then scurry away to the old coot�s
office.

Orion pondered about what Dumbledore had told Longbottom. The old man
hadn�t mentioned the prophecy to the Neville, but he was certain that the
prophecy had to concern Neville and him. Voldemort had practically said so in
his vision. And Voldemort�s suspicions were true, in the absence of Harry
Potter, Dumbledore was using Neville. But to what end? What could the prophecy
possibly say to make Dumbledore so desperate to use a mere boy? Well, whatever
it said the important issue was that Dumbledore was preparing Neville. He would
have to report his discoveries to Voldemort soon, without letting him know that
he knew about the existence of a prophecy, of course.

Someone was shaking him insistently and calling his name. Orion drowsily
opened his eyes and saw Calypso�s scowling face inches away from his.

He jumped from his bed and covered himself with the blankets, �Merlin�s
staff, Calypso! I�m barely dressed!�

She huffed and said in annoyance, �Right, because it�s my mission in
life to see you naked! You dunderhead! The Second Task starts in ten minutes
and here you are having pleasant dreams!�

Bewildered, Orion looked around and saw that his dorm was practically
empty. The only one still there was Krum, who had obviously let Calypso in.
Orion quickly went to the bathroom and put on his swimming trunks. He
transfigured an inner pocket and stuck his Death and Life wand inside. He
covered himself in a warm bathrobe and went back to his room. Lezander�s wand
was on his nightstand and he quickly snatched it and hurriedly left with
Calypso and Krum.

The entrance hall contained a few last-minute stragglers, all leaving
the Great Hall after breakfast and heading through the double oak doors to
watch the second task. They stared as Orion flashed past, sending Colin and
Dennis Creevey flying as he leapt down the stone steps and out onto the bright,
chilly grounds.

As he pounded down the lawn he saw that the seats that had encircled the
dragons' enclosure in November were now ranged along the opposite bank, rising
in stands that were packed to the bursting point and reflected in the lake
below. The excited babble of the crowd echoed strangely across the water as
Orion ran flat-out around the other side of the lake toward the judges, who
were sitting at another gold-draped table at the water's edge. Cedric, Fleur,
and Neville were beside the judges' table, watching Orion sprint toward them.

"I'm�here.." Orion panted, skidding to a halt in the mud and
accidentally splattering Fleur�s robes.

"Where have you been?" said a bossy, disapproving voice.
"The task's about to start! You were minutes away from being
disqualified!"

Orion looked around. Percy Weasley was sitting at the judges' table;
Crouch had failed to turn up again.

"Now, now, Percy!" said Ludo Bagman, "Let him catch his
breath!"

Vagnarov smiled at Orion, but Madame Maxime didn't look at all pleased
to see him. It was obvious from the look on her face that she had thought he wasn't
going to turn up. Dumbledore was merely watching him with a seemingly
benevolent expression.

Orion bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath; he had a stitch
in his side that felt as though he had a knife between his ribs, but there was
no time to get rid of it; Ludo Bagman was now moving among the champions,
spacing them along the bank at intervals of ten feet. Orion was on the very end
of the line, next to Neville, who was wearing swimming trunks and was holding a
green slimy plant in his hand.

"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will
start on my whistle,� said Bagman after casting a sonorous spell at his throat,
�They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the
count of three, then. One . . . two . . . three!"

The whistle echoed shrilly in the cold, still air; the stands erupted
with cheers and applause; without looking to see what the other champions were
doing, Orion pulled off his bathrobe and wand in hand, waded out into the lake.

It was so cold he felt the skin on his legs searing as though this were
fire, not icy water. As the water covered his knees, and his rapidly numbing
feet were slipping over silt and flat, slimy stones, he cast a warming spell
over his body and plunged into the lake. He quickly cast a human transformation
spell on his neck and felt his skin slit as gills appeared on each side. The
first gulp of icy lake water felt like the breath of life. Orion took another
great gulp of water and felt it pass smoothly through his gills, sending oxygen
back to his brain. He took out his Death and Life wand and conjured an arm band
to place his wand securely in it. He vanished his swimming trunks and stretched
out his legs in front of him and cast another human transformation spell and
saw his bare feet elongating as his toes webbed and became flippers. His two
legs merged together and sprouted silver fish scales. His lower body was now a
merman�s tail. He flicked his tail and he was quickly propelled through the
water. His vision was somewhat unclear and his eyes stung, so he cast a spell
to his eyes and felt how transparent and thin eyelids covered his eyes. Seeing
clearly and without the need to blink anymore, he quickly swam far into the
lake. He flipped his tail over and dived into its depths.

Silence pressed upon his ears as he soared over a strange, dark, foggy
landscape. He could only see ten feet around him, so that as he sped through
the water new scenes seemed to loom suddenly out of the incoming darkness:
forests of rippling, tangled black weed, wide plains of mud littered with dull,
glimmering stones. He swam deeper and deeper, out toward the middle of the
lake, his eyes wide, staring through the eerily gray-lit water around him to
the shadow beyond, where the water became opaque.

Small fish flickered past him like silver darts. Once or twice he
thought he saw something larger moving ahead of him, but when he got nearer, he
discovered it to be nothing but a large, blackened log, or a dense clump of
weed. There was no sign of any of the other champions, merpeople, nor,
thankfully, the famous giant squid which Draco complained that it liked to see
through Slytherin's common room windows and occasionally, much to his
annoyance, through his own dorm windows. Orion chuckled as he imagined a
disheveled Draco waking from pleasant dreams just to be faced with the squid's
large black eye over his bed. He could just imagine Draco's shrieks.

Light green weed stretched ahead of him as far as he could see, two feet
deep, like a meadow of very overgrown grass. Orion was staring unblinkingly
ahead of him, trying to discern shapes through the gloom . . . and then,
without warning, something grabbed hold of his flipper.

He twisted his body around and saw a grindylow, a small, horned water
demon, poking out of the weed, its long fingers clutched tightly around Orion's
flipper, its pointed fangs bared. More grindylows had risen out of the weed,
had seized his tail, and were attempting to drag him down.

Orion aimed his wand at them and non-verbally cast 'Hervio' which sent a
jet of boiling water towards them, striking them and causing angry red patches
appear on their green skin. The grindylows shrieked in pain and released him.
Orion swam as fast as be could, occasionally sending more jets of boiling water
over his shoulder when he felt grindylows snatch at him again. The grindylows
finally gave up and while they shook their fists at him they went back into the
weeds.

He swam on for what felt like at least twenty minutes. He was passing
over vast expanses of black mud now, which swirled murkily as he disturbed the
water. Then, at long last, he heard a snatch of haunting mersong.

"An hour long you'll have to look, And to recover what we
took..."

Orion swam faster and soon saw a large rock emerge out of the muddy
water ahead. It had paintings of merpeople on it; they were carrying spears and
chasing what looked like the giant squid. Orion swam on past the rock,
following the mersong.

". . . your time's half gone, so tarry not� Lest what you seek
stays here to rot. ..."

A cluster of crude stone dwellings stained with algae loomed suddenly
out of the gloom on all sides. Here and there at the dark windows, Orion saw
faces. The merpeople had grayish skin and long, wild, dark green hair. Their
eyes were yellow, as were their broken teeth, and they wore thick ropes of
pebbles around their necks. They leered at Orion as he swam past; one or two of
them emerged from their caves to watch him better, their powerful, silver fish
tails beating the water, spears clutched in their hands.

He sped on, staring around, and soon the dwellings became more numerous;
there were gardens of weed around some of them, and he even saw a pet grindylow
tied to a stake outside one door. Merpeople were emerging on all sides now,
watching him eagerly, pointing at his silver tail and gills, talking behind
their hands to one another. Orion sped around a corner and a very strange sight
met his eyes.

A whole crowd of merpeople was floating in front of the houses that
lined what looked like a mer-version of a village square. A choir of merpeople
was singing in the middle, calling the champions toward them, and behind them
rose a crude sort of statue; a gigantic merperson hewn from a boulder. Four
people were bound tightly to the tail of the stone merperson.

Orion gasped when he saw Lezander tied between Hermione and Cho Chang.
There was also a girl who looked no older than eight, whose clouds of silvery
hair made Orion feel sure that she was Fleur Delacour's sister. All four of
them appeared to be in a very deep sleep. Their heads were lolling onto their
shoulders, and fine streams of bubbles kept issuing from their mouths.

Orion sped toward the hostages, half expecting the merpeople to lower
their spears and charge at him, but they did nothing. The ropes of weed tying
the hostages to the statue were thick, slimy, and very strong.

When he was about to cast a severing spell on Lezander�s ropes, he saw
Neville speeding towards him. The other boy had webbed toes and fingers and
Orion saw the flash of gills on his neck.

Neville looked at him bewildered and bubbles came out of his mouth when
he tried to speak, �Fle� attac.. grindylo��

Orion shook his head and Neville gave up and dived to snatch a jagged
rock on the lake bottom. Orion turned to Lezander and grabbed him by the waist
as he cast the nonverbal severing spell and the ropes broke apart. He turned
and saw Neville hacking the ropes binding Hermione with a sharp rock. Orion
realized that the other boy didn't seem to know any nonverbal spells. When she
was released, she floated unconscious, drifting a little in the ebb of the
water. Neville looked around nervously and then approached to cut the ropes
binding Fleur�s sister. At once, several pairs of strong gray hands seized
Neville. Half a dozen mermen were pulling him away from the girl, shaking their
green-haired heads, and laughing.

"You take your own hostage," one of them said to him.
"Leave the others ..."

Neville shook his head and said something but only two large bubbles
came out.

�Your task is to retrieve your own friend . . . leave the others
..." said impatiently another merman.

Neville kept trying to get away and turn to the other captives. Orion
frowned at him, wondering why the other boy was so determinate in rescuing the
others when they were completely safe under the spells they were under. From
the corner of his eyes he saw Cedric swimming towards them with a Bubble Charm
on his head. Orion didn�t waste a single second and started swimming towards
the surface, holding Lezander with one arm and aiming his wand in case more
grindylows appeared.

As he neared the surface he saw Cedric swimming up with Cho not far
behind, and he could distinguish Neville�s shape still down there trying to
convince the merpeople to release the others. He shook his head at Neville�s
foolhardiness as he quickly cancelled all the human transformation spells. He
conjured his swimming trunks back and placed his Death and Life wand inside as
he vanished the arm band.

When they broke through the surface of the lake, Lezander immediately
woke up and started heaving great breaths of air as Orion grabbed him tighter
around the waist and started swimming towards the shore. The crowd in the
stands was making a great deal of noise; shouting and clamoring, they all
seemed to be on their feet.

Orion turned to look at Lezander and saw that he was very pale. He
frowned and asked in concern, �Lez, are you alright?�

Lezander looked at him wild-eyed, �What I saw- Orion, what was it? Where
are we?�

�What do you mean? Don�t you remember? This is the Second Task. Someone
took you into the lake so that I had to come and rescue you,� said Orion
worriedly, �Didn�t they explain it to you before taking you?�

�Yes,� retorted Lezander confusedly, �But that wasn�t what I- � He shook
his head and remained silent.

Orion frowned at him but decided to ask him questions later. He
tentatively released Lezander�s waist as he asked, �Are you well enough to
swim?�

Lezander nodded and they swam back toward the bank where the judges
stood watching, twenty merpeople accompanying them like a guard of honor,
singing their horrible screechy songs.

As soon as they reached the bank, Madam Pomfrey covered them in blankets
and gave them potions to swallow. Orion rubbed Lezander on the back, trying to
warm him up as he saw Cedric coming out of the lake clutching Cho who was
looking a little bit confused. Madam Pomfrey started fussing over them and
Orion saw Madam Maxime trying to restrain Fleur, who was quite hysterical,
fighting tooth and nail to return to the water.

"Gabrielle! Gabrielle! Where is she?! I have to get back! She might
be 'urt!"

Dumbledore was standing besides her, looking intently towards the lake,
when Neville and Hermione finally appeared.

Orion saw that Neville looked deeply troubled and Hermione was quickly
talking to him. When they reached the bank, they were instantly covered in
thick blankets.

That seemed to be the last straw for Fleur, since she gave a high-pitch
wail, �Gabrielle! Ma soeur! Where is she?!�

Neville stood up shakily and said frantically to Dumbledore pointing
towards the lake, �Sir, I tried- They wouldn�t let me! She�s still there!�

Fleur rounded on Dumbledore, clutched his robes and yelled desperately,
�Where is my sister?! Do someth�ng!�

Dumbledore patted her shoulders and said softly, �Your sister is safe,
Miss Delacour.� He turned to look at the lake and said with a smile, �Look.�

Orion�s gaze followed Dumbledore�s and he saw a group of merpeople
swimming towards them with Fleur�s sister in their midst. Fleur immediately ran
towards the lake and hugged her little sister, �It was ze grindylows . . . zey
attacked me ... oh Gabrielle, I thought... I thought..."

"Come here, child," said Madam Pomfrey as she seized Gabrielle
and wrapped her tightly in a blanket while Fleur stroked her sister�s hair.

"Orion, well done!" Calypso cried as she, Krum and Draco
joined Lezander and him on the ground, �You did it. You were the first!"

Orion smiled at her but looked in concern at Lezander�s still pale face.
He grabbed his hands and whispered, �Lez, what had you so alarmed before?�

Lezander was about to reply when Krum, who had sat himself strategically
between their group and Neville�s, said to Hermione who was patting Neville�s
back and talking to him encouragingly, "You haff a water beetle in your
hair, Herm-own-ninny"

Hermione brushed away the beetle impatiently and continued saying to
Neville, "...You're well outside the time limit, though, Neville. Did it
take you ages to find me?"

"No ... I found you okay..." croaked Neville despondently,
�But I should have helped Fleur�s sister��

Calypso rolled her eyes and said impatiently, �You moron, don�t you see
that she was alright? She was under a sleeping charm! Nothing was going to
happen to the little girl! You wasted time for nothing!�

Hermione shot her a glare and turned back to Neville and said
soothingly, �Don�t listen to that Durmstrang girl, Neville. You tried to do the
honorable thing but those merpeople didn�t let you. It wasn�t your fault and
Delacour�s sister is fine now.�

Draco snorted and said snidely, �Fatbottom wanted to play hero? Is that
why he took so long? Typical idiotic Gryffindork behavior-�

Hermione tried to jump at Draco over Krum, �Shut your trap, Malfoy! An
evil little cockroach like you wouldn�t understand-�

Ludo Bagman's magically magnified voice boomed out beside them, making
them all jump, and causing the crowd in the stands to go very quiet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision.
Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the
lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the
champions, as follows�Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of
the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal,
and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."

The stand broke into applause but Fleur didn�t acknowledge them.

"I deserved zero," she said throatily, shaking her magnificent
wet hair.

Bagman continued, "Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head
Charm, was second to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute
outside the time limit of an hour."

Enormous cheers from the Hufflepuffs in the crowd; Orion saw Cho give
Cedric a glowing look.

"We therefore award him forty-seven points," said Bagman over
the noise, "Orion Black used several effective Human Transformation spells
and was first to return with his hostage just within the time limit. We award
him fifty points."

Vagnarov clapped particularly hard, looking very superior, while Calypso
hugged Orion and Draco beamed at him.

"Neville Longbottom used gillyweed to great effect," continued
Bagman. "He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour.
However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Longbottom was second to reach
the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to
return all hostages to safety, not merely his own."

Calypso and Draco snorted at the same time while Hermione gave Neville a
prideful pat on the back.

"Most of the judges," and here, Bagman gave Percy and Vagnarov
a look, "feel that this shows nobility of heart and merits full marks,
even though his attempt failed. However� Mr. Longbottom's score is forty-five
points."

Orion grinned victoriously while the crowd cheered and heartfully
applauded the champions. He was in first place, followed by Cedric and Neville
who were tied in second, and Fleur was last.

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the
twenty-fourth of June," continued Bagman. "The champions will be
notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for
your support of the champions."

Finally the task was over, thought Orion cheerfully. Now he could
concentrate on other more important matters.

When he got back to his dorm, Orion pulled Lezander towards his bed and
as they sat down, he asked, �Lez, what happened to you in the lake? You�ve been
terribly quiet this whole time.�

Lezander looked at Orion uncertainly, �It�s hard to explain. I- I had a
dream, I suppose,� He frowned as he continued, �But I shouldn�t have dreamt,
not if they put us under sleeping charms�When we surfaced the lake, it
obviously stopped, and I was confused at first. I didn�t remember what had
happened or where I was��

Orion smiled in relief, �So it was only a dream then? Well, it�s nothing
to worry about, Lez!�

�Perhaps it was,� said Lezander awkwardly. Then he pierced his worried
eyes to Orion�s and said quietly, �But what if it was something else? I
shouldn�t have been dreaming��

Orion felt Lezander�s discomfort and said soothingly, �Well, what did
you dream about?�

�It was horrible,� said Lezander deviating his gaze, �I saw a
battlefield filled with bodies� I could taste the scent of blood in the air,
the smell of corpses on the ground� it was dark... and so many screams of pain,
so many flashes of spells��

Orion clutched Lezander�s shoulders and said excitedly, �You think it
was a vision?! That you saw a battle that will happen in the future? Was the
Dark winning?!�

Lezander�s eyes flashed and he said sternly, �It�s nothing to be happy
about, Orion! The stench of Death was on that battlefield, but that wasn�t what
worried me, what horrified me� I have seen death before, it�s nothing for a
vampire like me�� He forcefully grasped Orion�s upper arms, �It was you that I
saw! And you were different��

�What do you mean?� asked Orion with a frown, �And didn�t you see anyone
else besides me? Our friends? Voldemort? Dumbledore?�

Lezander shook his head, �No, I could only distinguish you between
numerous others. The battle was still ragging on� wizards fighting wizards,
some magical creatures as well but I couldn�t see anyone clearly� I only saw
you�� He tightened his grasp and said forcefully, �You were changed, you
weren�t yourself� you were killing and laughing! I saw you laughing as you
slaughtered hundreds!� Lezander shook him and said angrily, �You were crazed! I
saw you casting dark horrible spells I�ve never seen before and you enjoyed it�
there was satisfaction in your face, you enjoyed it! You were completely dark, I
could feel it in you, as if something had taken over you�� He shuddered and
continued, �Your aura was completely black, staggeringly powerful but
completely black� and you wouldn�t stop� you kept on killing.�

Orion frowned and released Lezander�s shoulders. He looked at Lezander
and said uncertainly, �It was only a dream.�

�And what if it�s not?� snapped Lezander impatiently, �This has never
happened to me before. Maybe the sleeping charm brought it on� put me in a kind
of trance. I don�t know� but what I felt�� He shook his head and continued, �It
didn�t feel like a dream, Orion. I perceived everything with my senses� I could
taste the blood, hear the screams and feel the magic�What if it was a possible
outcome? What if it was a warning of what you would become?�

Orion shrugged his shoulders indifferently though he was deeply
perturbed. What did it mean? Was it really a vision? And what had happened to
him? Why did Lezander say that he was different? Killing and laughing? Enjoying
it? With a black magical aura?

Lezander clutched his shoulders and said sternly, �It doesn�t merit a
simple shrug of shoulders, Orion! If it was a vision of the future it�s serious
business!�

�And what would you have me do?� replied Orion in annoyance, �You can
only tell me that I was different, that I wasn�t myself. I can barely do
anything without more information! And besides, it�s more important to know if
the Dark was winning! Couldn�t you tell who was winning?�

�No! Dammit!� snarled Lezander, �And it doesn�t matter! What matters is
to prevent that from happening to you!�

Orion sighed and said warily, �It�s probably nothing, Lez. Why would I
turn to be like that? I would never laugh while I duel. I would take it
seriously and I wouldn�t enjoy killing�� He frowned uncertainly. He didn�t
enjoy killing but he enjoyed using his dark magic, even for destructive
purposes. The darker the spells the more pleasurable they became� but that
happened to all dark wizards. It was the allure of the Dark Arts� surely there
was nothing wrong with that if one exercised control.

�I know you wouldn't enjoy it,� said Lezander more pacified, �but I ask
you to be careful. We don�t know what it means. Maybe it was a dream, maybe
not. But in any case, now you know and you can be more careful and detect if something
is changing you.�

Orion smiled at him, �Alright, I�ll be alert to any changes. But really,
Lez, nothing changes someone like that. Don�t worry yourself.�

Lezander hummed uncertainly and left for his bed. Orion pushed all his
concerns about Lezander�s weird dream to a side and dove under his blankets as
he cast silencing spells and took out Tom�s locket.

He briefly told Tom about the Second Task and after accepting his
prideful congratulations he finally disclosed to Tom what had happened with
Voldemort after the Dark Allies meeting. During the winter holidays he had only
told Tom about what had been discussed during the meeting but he had been too
flustered to tell Tom about the kiss. Now he disclosed everything to him,
without leaving out a single detail. He wanted to ask Tom several things about
it. But Tom�s reaction to his disclosure wasn�t what he had expected.

�Do you love me?� asked Tom quietly after hearing Orion�s nervous
narration.

Orion gaped at him with wide eyes. He croaked, �What?�

Tom regarded him in silence and then said, �You let it slip when you
were angrily ranting at me in the Chamber of Secrets. You said you cared for
me�� He looked at Orion and added softly, �That you had come to love me.�

Orion fidgeted and looked away from Tom�s dark blue eyes. He said
hesitantly, �I care for you�maybe more than anyone else except my father. Er �
you�re my oldest friend��

�But do you love me?� asked Tom more forcefully.

Orion turned to look at him and saw Tom�s eyes piercing him, challenging
him to be honest. Orion frowned and said quietly, �It doesn�t matter if I love
you or not.�

Tom narrowed his eyes at him and snarled angrily, �It matters to me! Why
can�t you say it? Why can�t you be honest with yourself?�

�So what if I love you?� snapped Orion angrily, �You don�t truly exist,
do you? You�re just a piece of soul stuck in a locket! Even if I loved you I
would never be able to be with you!�

�I exist!� hissed Tom furiously, �I am Lord Voldemort! If you want me
you can have me! You just have to admit that you feel something for me,
something for Lord Voldemort! You can admit it to him!�

�I don�t feel anything for HIM!� spat Orion angrily, �I feel something
for YOU!�

�What do you feel?� pressed Tom impatiently, �Tell me! Do you love me or
not?!�

�Yes!� spat Orion angrily, �Yes I do, in a way! And I�m all the more
pathetic for it! You�re like a figment of my imagination; someone who will
never be a reality for me! Do you want me to wallow in it, Tom? To know that I
long for someone whom I�ll never have? Do you want me to suffer for you?
Because I have, ever since I discovered your true identity; knowing that I
wanted someone who didn�t exist, whose real version could never love me back.
But I vowed to forget about it! I know that I can�t have you so I stopped
longing for you!�

Tom was looking at him with a triumphant smirk that only angered Orion
more. Orion snapped at him furiously, �What are you smirking about? Do you
think this is entertaining? That my pathetic feelings for you are cause for
amusement! That � �

Tom interrupted him softly, �Orion, I want you as well. I�ve known we
belong together for a long time and finally you�ve admitted it to yourself.�

�What difference does it make?� said Orion shaking his head in
resignation, �You�re a locket- �

�I�m the Dark Lord,� said Tom sternly, �What you feel for me, you should
feel for him because we are one and the same. If you love me then love HIM!
Because I�m there, deep inside him. He�s me with a few more decades of
experience that have changed him, but his soul is my soul and my essence is
his. If you were able to stir emotions in me...� He paused and continued
softly, �If you were able to make me love you, then you can make him love you
as well. If you�re with him we can be together.�

Orion looked into Tom�s eyes and asked awkwardly, �Er- You love me?�

Tom smiled warmly at him and said quietly, �Yes.�

Orion�s heart gave a lurch but he shook his head and said desperately,
�But he won�t! He�s not able to feel emotions! He�s too far gone!�

�Then make him see!� said Tom impatiently, �Make him want you, make him
care for you! I wasn�t able to feel anything either and I changed. He can
change as well!�

Orion let out a mirthless bark of laughter, �Lord Voldemort caring for
me? He would as soon torture me to death than feel anything for me! And me
loving the murdered of my mother?! One thing is to be on his side, another is
to love someone who has caused me so much pain!�

Tom ignored him and said sternly, �He won�t love you tenderly or gently.
I wouldn�t either. But he is capable of feeling. He might not demonstrate it
and he might hide behind a cold and indifferent fa�ade but he can love as truly
as anyone else and even more because his love would be all-consuming. If you
managed to evoke those feelings in him, feelings he had never felt for anyone
else, he would never abandon you. He would make you completely his. Isn�t it
what you�ve always wanted? Irrevocable love?�

Orion sighed and carded his fingers through his hair, �Yes, Tom, but I
don�t want unrequited love. If I delude myself into thinking that he can be
salvaged, that I can bring him to be more like you, all because I have feelings
for you�� He swallowed and continued, �If I finally break the separation
between you and him, the one I have in my thoughts, and allow myself to
transfer my feelings for you to him� What happens when he detects that I might
feel something for him? What happens when he uses it against me? He would mock
me, crush me!�

Tom sighed warily, �It won�t be easy but in time he would admit it to
himself. I battled for a long time with the feelings I had for you but in the
end I accepted them. The same will happen to him.� He paused and then added
quietly, �And if I share my memories with him, he�ll understand sooner.�

Orion�s eyes snapped to Tom�s and he asked, �What do you mean share your
memories with him?�

�When you give me to him, he�ll talk to me. I was planning on giving him
all my memories about you. He�ll ask for them for sure,� replied Tom quietly.

Orion�s eyes widened, �You can do that?�

�Yes. We have the same soul and I�m his �� Tom faltered and then said,
�There�s a spell he can use to transfer my memories into his mind.�

Orion frowned. Then a hopeful thought flashed into his mind and he said
excitedly, �Tom! Can you- can your soul be merged with his? He merged the
diary�s soul with the other so he could do the same with you!�

Tom shook his head and said sternly, �He would never do that and I
wouldn�t want that either.�

�What? Why not?!� asked Orion in confusion.

�Because I�m his immortality, Orion,� replied Tom calmly, �As long as I
exist he�ll never die; he�ll have a means to come back to life. I don�t want to
merge with him because I�m aware of my value. You must understand that I don�t
see him as another being. I don�t even have any desires of supplanting him or
existing independently from him. He is me and therefore I want the locket to
continue existing with my soul inside of it. I would never agree to merge my
soul with his. And besides, even if we merged he wouldn�t change. He has the
oldest soul in him, the strongest piece and the most recent and complete
memories. If I was added, he would only have my memories since the time we
split apart. It wouldn�t change his personality. He would be just like he is
now. And I can give him my memories without merging, so there�s no benefit in
doing it.�

Orion sighed in disappointment and said, �Very well. I won�t pretend to
understand how the whole soul-splitting thing works and you have refused to
tell me more about it when I�ve asked you in the past�� He looked at Tom and
said resolutely, �I care for you Tom. That won�t change. But you ask too much
of me. I won�t transfer what I feel for you to him if I can prevent it. It
would only make me weaker and give him an opportunity to manipulate me. The
only way for me to feel any different about him is for him to evoke those
sentiments in me himself,� He snorted and added, �And I sincerely doubt that
will ever happen.�

Tom scowled at him and said snidely, �What, too noble and good to
condescend to love someone like him? Aren�t I worth it? Isn�t he worth it?�

�You�re worth it,� snapped Orion, �But he�s a different matter. I simply
don�t feel anything for him-�

Tom snorted and sneered at him, �Sure you don�t. And when he kissed you,
you didn�t feel anything, right? When he caresses you, you don�t shiver? When
he pressed you against his body, you didn�t want him?�

Orion blushed fiercely and said flustered, �That- that�s only physical
attraction.�

�That�s desire!� snapped Tom impatiently, �That�s belonging! He gets to
you! Admit it!�

�That�s called adolescent hormones!� retorted Orion angrily, �And it
isn�t enough!�

Tom smirked at him and said slyly, �But no one else makes you feel that
way, do they? No one else has his alluring magic; that enticing tingling on
your skin that you have admitted to feel when you sense his magic. That
connection you felt with him in your kiss that made you feel that you belonged
to him; the pleasure that elicited your moan as he plundered your mouth, as you
willingly submitted to him. No one else gets that reaction from you.�

As Tom said those words Orion became increasingly flustered and
uncertain but one phrase made him narrow his eyes at Tom. He snapped, �I never
said that the weird brief connection I felt during the kiss made me feel that I
belonged to him. As a matter of fact, I only said that I felt something
stirring inside, trying to make a connection,� Orion�s eyes turned into
slits and he said suspiciously, �You understand what it was. It wasn�t my
magic, was it?�

Tom cocked an eyebrow and nastily smiled at him, �And what was it,
then?�

Orion snapped, �I don�t know. That�s why I�m asking you.� He frowned and
added thoughtfully, �You told me once that if I spent long periods of time
close to him he might find out that I�m Harry Potter� Was it physical proximity
that you were referring to? Because if that�s the case then the kiss definitely
falls into the category of being close to him and�� Orion�s eyes widened and he
said frantically, �And it might make him aware that I�m Harry Potter� But why?
I don�t understand how it can be possible.� He pierced Tom with his green eyes
and spat angrily, �You must tell me, Tom! Enough of your secrets! What are you
keeping away from me? What aren�t you telling me?�

Tom looked at him in amusement and said silkily, �Why, Orion, I keep no
secrets from you.�

�Don�t lie to me!� said Orion impatiently, �Don�t you see that it�s
dangerous? You were concerned before that he might discover my identity. Why
don�t you care now?�

Tom smirked at him, �Due to recent developments I think it would benefit
everyone if he knew who you were as soon as possible. Just look at what happens
when you meet someone new. You have that annoying Valois after you, not to
mention your current boyfriend.� He chuckled nastily and said victoriously,
�When Voldemort learns the truth he won�t let you out of his sight! He�ll claim
you for sure and you won�t be able to escape him! He�ll force you accept that
you are HIS!�

Orion looked at him bewildered, �What are you talking about?! What in
Merlin�s name do you mean? Why would he claim me when he discovered that I�m
Harry Potter?� Then he snapped angrily, �And why would it mean that I�m his
just because I�m Harry Potter?!�

Tom gave him a satisfied smirk while he regarded him in silence.

Orion glared at him and said snidely, �Fine, thank you Tom, anyway. Keep
your secrets if you like but now you�ve given me one more reason to keep the
hell away from Voldemort. Rest assured that he won�t be getting near me, ever!�
Then he spat, �And kisses? Ha! That won�t happen again as long as I live! And
as for caring about him because he is you, you can forget it! I don�t even like
you too much at present!�

Tom glared at him and hissed angrily, �Say what you want but you have NO
CHOICE in the matter. You�re MINE and Voldemort will force you to see that ��

�Oh, stuff it, Tom!� hissed Orion furiously, �You and him have serious
issues! Forget everything I�ve told you. You�re a pathetic piece of soul
trapped by yourself in a locket and he�s nothing more than a demented wizard
who lost his path long ago. I can see now that you�re exactly the same; with
deluded thoughts about owning me. No matter how much I might care for you I
won�t put up with your crazy rants. I�ll go on living my life with someone who
truly loves me without giving Voldemort or you a second thought!�

Orion made a move to shut the locket and Tom yelled furiously while his
dark blue eyes flashed in anger, �DON�T YOU DARE! We haven�t finished this
conversation yet!�

�As far as I�m concerned,� said Orion coldly, �we have.� He closed the
locket and threw it into his trunk.

Orion snuggled inside his bed and had to choke the angry sob that was
threatening to come out from his throat. He had been a fool. When he heard Tom
softly ask him about his feelings and when Tom had gently said he loved him, he
had believed it. But Tom had alternated between soft tones and angry ones. It
was clear to him now that Tom did it to turn his thoughts towards the direction
he wanted. It was like early in their relationship, when Tom was gentle when he
wanted to persuade him. And Voldemort did the same thing. Of course both of
them manipulated him the same way; they were the same person after all. He
angrily thought about the way Tom had empathically urged him to make Voldemort
care for him. Orion snorted. Tom merely wanted him to be under Voldemort�s
thumb. Oh, he didn�t doubt that Tom cared for him deeply; he could see it in
his eyes, in the rare and brief occasions when they were unguarded. But Tom
would have never admitted that he loved him if he wasn�t using it to manipulate
him somehow. All his soft reassurances that they could be together if Orion
accepted to be with Voldemort, were just that, a manipulation. That became
clear when Tom triumphantly said that Voldemort would claim him and that he
would be powerless to prevent it and when Tom angrily said that he was his and
had no choice in the matter.

Orion huffed. Tom�s fluffiness at the beginning of their conversation
had surprised him and had made him want to be honest with Tom about how he
felt. It made him try to find a way to be together, while Tom�s plan was to
convince him to submit to Voldemort. Of course Tom�s fluff was faked. Tom had
said it himself, he didn�t love tenderly. Tom didn�t love at all as far as
Orion was concerned. Tom didn�t seem to know what it truly meant. Orion frowned
in thought. Did he love Tom? He did in some degree, but it could never be a
carefree affection, not with Tom because it would give him ammunition to hurt
and use him. But what he felt for Tom was complex. Could he really call it
love? He cared deeply for Tom and was so used to his company that he would miss
him greatly. It was more like a need, like something he couldn�t live without.
But he wanted to punch Tom as frequently as he wanted to caress him. It was
puzzling, there wasn�t a straightforward answer. And despite Tom�s personality,
he liked him nonetheless. Had he liked the soft and seemingly loving way Tom
had spoken to him at first? Yes, it was a pleasant change but he couldn�t
imagine Tom being like that always. Did he even want that? Not really, fluffy
love was nice but it would get boring eventually. And Tom wasn�t that way. But
Orion valued honesty and he didn�t like to be played and Tom continuously did that
when he turned soft for his own purposes.

That was something he cherished in Lezander. He was always honest; he
didn�t hide his feelings or his anger. He was straightforward and never
manipulated him. But did he love Lezander? Orion sighed. He didn�t know much
about love either. The only person he had truly loved had been Sirius, no one
else had shown him true devoted love but his father. But Lezander showed him
true affection as well and Orion felt that Lezander was the only one with whom
he could be unguarded with. Orion could tell him that he loved him without
fearing that it would be used against him and he could drown in the pleasant
feelings without concern. That would never happen with Tom. And he didn�t even
contemplate the possibility with Voldemort. It was truly laughable. Voldemort
was even more dangerous than Tom, even more cold and manipulative. Really, Tom
saying that Voldemort could love. Did Tom truly think he was that stupid?

Orion snorted. He wanted to be with someone who truly loved him but he
wasn�t as desperate as to delude himself. Tom cared for him and perhaps he
believed that it was love, since he had never cared for anyone before, and that
was alright in Orion�s opinion, but Voldemort didn�t care. Voldemort might want
him, to be a follower, to be a minion, to be under his command, but that was as
far as it went. And Tom�s newly disclosed possessiveness of him just reflected
Voldemort�s feelings as well. And it angered him that Tom had hidden that nasty
aspect of himself. It made Tom seem much more similar to Voldemort; much more
than Orion truly wanted to accept. Well, he would let Tom stew in his anger. He
wouldn�t be opening the locket for a long while. And he would continue with Lezander and enjoy what
an affectionate and honest relationship should be like while it lasted. Then he
would have an heir with an appropriate dark wizard when the time came. Tom
could choke on his soft spoken reassurances of love as far as Orion was
concerned and Tom could stuff his belief that Voldemort could feel anything for
anyone.

The next
day, after classes, Orion decided to get on with what he had been delaying for
a long time. After everyone was busy elsewhere, he went to an empty classroom
and used his ring to portkey to Voldemort�s side.

He popped
in an unfamiliar luxurious room and soon saw that Voldemort wasn�t alone. He
quickly disillusioned himself, just before the other wizard present turned
around.

Orion had
to repress a growl when he saw that it was Pettigrew. The plump short wizard
looked harried and stressed. Orion narrowed his eyes at him when he saw that
Pettigrew had a muggle metallic artifact substituting his lost hand. At least
he took comfort in seeing that it was very beneath any wizarding contraption
and it looked quite primitive. The dark spell he had cast on Pettigrew�s wrist
would repel any magical hand but Orion had forgotten that muggles also had a
solution for it.

Voldemort
shot him a glance and Orion made a mental note that Voldemort was able to see
under disillusionment charms. He would have to find another spell powerful
enough to make him invisible to powerful wizards like Voldemort.

The Dark
Lord was seated in a grandiose black velvet armchair with his wand aimed at
Pettigrew, who was cowering in front of him. Voldemort seemed to be in a foul
mood.

�Your
lack of information on Dumbledore is becoming suspicious, Wormtail,� hissed
Voldemort menacingly, �You�ve been spying on him for many months and everything
that you�ve told me I�ve already heard from others. Your usefulness is running
short- �

�Master,
I�ve told you everything I�ve found out about Dumbledore�s plans,� said
Pettigrew sniveling, �But he conducts Order business out of his office where I
can�t follow- �

�Then
what good are you to me?� asked Voldemort wrathfully, �I gave you the simple
task of discovering the Order of the Phoenix headquarters and you keep
reporting trifling information every time I summon you!�

Pettigrew
threw himself at Voldemort�s feet and squealed, �I�ll do better, Master.
Please, give me more time. We don�t even know if Dumbledore has assembled the
Order back.�

Voldemort
kicked Pettigrew away from him and spat furiously, �Crucio!�

While
Pettigrew screamed and convulsed on the floor, Voldemort stood up in front of
him and said angrily, �The fool has already regrouped the Order! Not that I got
that information from you, did I?� He watched Pettigrew impassively for a while
and then cancelled the spell and said threateningly, �Next time you have
nothing of importance to report, I�ll allow Bella to have some fun with you for
a week.�

Pettigrew
crouched shakily before him, �No, Master, please� I�ll have more information
next time.�

�See that
you do,� said Voldemort menacingly, �Now leave!�

Pettigrew
squeaked and then promptly dissapparated.

Voldemort
swirled towards Orion and said sternly, �You�ve taken your time to report. I
hope for your sake that you have something of worth to tell me.�

Orion
cancelled the disillusionment charm and replied calmly, �I have.� He looked
around at the luxurious room and asked with curiosity, �Where are we?�

�Berlin,�
said Voldemort succinctly while he sat back on his armchair. He pierced Orion
with his scarlet gaze and asked impatiently, �Well? Why has it taken you so
long? And what have you discovered about Dumbledore and Longbottom?�

Orion
concentrated his eyesight on Voldemort�s forehead and replied nonchalantly, �I
wanted to report after the Second Task to have more pertinent information to
give you. I spoke to Phineas� portrait and he�s told me that Dumbledore has met
with Longbottom frequently and that he�s preparing the boy for the war,� He
paused and added, �Dumbledore is telling Longbottom that he might have the
power to defeat you. That�s my conclusion from what Phineas told me.�

Voldemort�s
eyes flashed in anger and he stood up and strode towards Orion. He snarled,
�Let me see.�

Orion�s
eyes widened when Voldemort reached him and aimed his wand at him. He had
seconds to prepare before Voldemort said, �Legilimens!�

Orion
took several steps back from the force of the attack and his scar burst in pain
while he felt as if a burning red-hot scalpel pierced his brain. His
ever-present Occlumency barriers started breaking from the attack and Orion
scrunched his eyes close while he desperately tried to fortify them. He quickly
hid all the information about his identity and Tom in mental lagoons and
brought up to the front of his mind his conversation with Phineas. A hand
painfully grabbed both sides of his face and he heard Voldemort�s furious
command, �Open your eyes this instant!�

With a
supreme effort he quickly concealed the bit of information regarding the
Invisibility Cloak and Phineas� suggestions to break into Dumbledore�s office.
He didn�t want Voldemort asking him questions about the Cloak. It would be
terrible if Voldemort got a hint about the existence of the Hallows. He would
be immediately interested in them, after all, they made their possessor the
Master of Death, just what Voldemort has always wanted. And Orion knew that he
had to have the Hallows, he didn�t want to race Voldemort to acquire them and
he believed that Voldemort didn�t know about the Hallows. After all, Tom
didn�t.

Orion
warily opened his eyes and saw Voldemort�s furious scarlet eyes sinking into
his. He screamed when he felt his mind being brutally rammed into and the
memories of his conversation with Phineas quickly flicked in his mind as
Voldemort ruthlessly inspected them. The unbearable pain in his scar was
splitting his head in two and he felt as if hot spikes were jamming his brain.
The pain was tripled since he put all his energy and magic to block all his
other memories from Voldemort and his body felt weakened and exhausted. Just
when the pain seemed too much to bear he let out a last scream as Voldemort�s
mind left his.

Orion
closed his tearful eyes and sagged against whatever was holding him as his
knees buckled. His splitting throbbing head rested on something soft and warm
and Orion swallowed a sob as he tried to ease the pain.

A hand
caressed his hair and he heard a soft patronizing voice say, �There, there. It
wasn�t so bad.�

Orion
slowly opened his squeezed eyes and realized that he was resting his head on
Voldemort�s chest while the wizard was holding him against his body. Orion
clutched Voldemort�s robes as he tried to stand on his weakened legs.

He looked
up at Voldemort in anger and croaked, �That wasn�t necessary!�

Voldemort�s
eyes narrowed and he said as he captured Orion�s chin with a hand, �You�re an
Occlumens and a good one too. Care to tell me why you didn�t inform me of this?�

�We
learned at Durmstrang this year,� replied Orion hoarsely, �And I�m not good
enough to repel your attack, am I?�

Voldemort�s
eyes turned into slits and he grasped Orion�s chin tighter, �But you were able
to block all your other memories from me. What are you hiding?�

Orion
shook his head to disengage his face from Voldemort�s clutch but it was
useless. He deviated his gaze from Voldemort and replied throatily, �Nothing. I
always keep my memories under Occlumency barriers.�

Voldemort
pulled Orion�s face up again to look at him and hissed threateningly, �I could
easily break your mind to see your hidden memories.�

Orion
pierced Voldemort with his green eyes, while he clutched Voldemort�s robes
tighter and said angrily, �Go ahead then. I will fight it and you�ll only
destroy my mind without getting any information. Is that want you want? To turn
me into a comatose mindless corpse?�

�No,�
snarled Voldemort, �But it would be wise of you to allow me full access next
time I want to see your memories.�

Orion
attempted to move away from him but he was only pulled closer and he snapped
furiously, �You have no business seeing into my mind! You caught me unaware
this time but I�ll � �

�You�ll
do nothing!� hissed Voldemort menacingly, �Or I�ll make you regret it!�

Orion
swallowed his angry retort and submissively looked down. He couldn�t antagonize
Voldemort. He was still on dangerous grounds with him and if he pushed him more
he would be tortured. Let Voldemort believe in his meekness for now.

�Good,�
said Voldemort in a pleased voice, �I see that you�re learning your place.�

Orion
bristled but kept quite. Voldemort caressed his cheek and lifted his face once
again. His scarlet eyes looked at him and he said pleasantly, �You were right
about your conclusions. Dumbledore is filling that boy�s head with ridiculous
ideas.� He smirked and added, �Too bad that the boy won�t last for long. It
would have been entertaining to play with Longbottom for a while.�

Orion
snapped his eyes to Voldemort�s and asked, �What�s going to happen to
Longbottom?�

Voldemort
sneered at him, �Why, are you concerned for that pathetic boy? Do you care if
he suffers?�

�No,�
replied Orion earnestly, �But I care if you�re planning an attack on Hogwarts
while I�m there.�

Voldemort
grasped Orion�s hair tightly to pull his head back and hissed angrily, �And
what makes you believe I�ll attack Hogwarts?�

Orion
winced in pain but replied calmly, �It�s the only reason I can come up with to
explain why you send Barty to Hogwarts. And you expressed interest in the
Triwizard Tournament the time you broke into Bertha Jorkins� mind.�

Voldemort
eased his grasp and slowly stroked Orion�s hair. �Aren�t you sharp,� he said
amusedly.

�Yes I
am,� snapped Orion impatiently, �Now, will you release me?�

Voldemort
smirked at him and said while pressing Orion closer to his body, �Why would I?
You seem to like it.�

�Well, I
don�t!� bit out Orion angrily while pushing against Voldemort�s chest, �And
besides, you don�t embrace the rest of your followers, do you?�

�Ah, but
you don�t consider yourself to be like the others. You want to be my equal,
correct?� replied Voldemort mockingly.

Orion�s
eyes flashed in anger, �I also want to be treated with respect!�

Voldemort
laughed at him and then brought his face down, inches away from Orion�s and
said softly, �You�re very ambitious. What are you prepared to offer to become
my equal?� Then he added in a silky hiss as he trailed a finger over Orion�s
lips, �I have no usssse for an equal but I do have a place for you in mind.
And I believe you would like it. Do you care to guessss what position I�m
willing to offer you?�

Orion
felt a pleasant shiver coursing through his body but became alarmed when
Voldemort ghosted his lips over his. It couldn�t happen again! It could reveal
his identity! His mind was screaming at him but he unconsciously licked his
lips. Voldemort�s eyes caught his action and he smirked at him while he gently
caressed his cheek, bringing their faces closer. The instant Orion felt
Voldemort�s warm lips on his, he snapped out of it and pulled away.

Orion
slipped from Voldemort�s arms and said sternly while taking a step back, �This
can�t happen.� Then he added mockingly, �Why don�t you go to my Aunt Bella if
what you�re looking for is a snog?�

Voldemort
arched an eyebrow and said amusedly, �Ah, little one, are you jealous?�

Orion
snorted and said belittling, �Of her? Unlikely.� Then he turned serious and
added suspiciously, �What place do you have in mind for me?�

Voldemort
smirked at him and stepped closer to Orion. Orion instantly whipped out his
wand and said sternly, �You will keep your distance.�

Voldemort
looked at Orion�s wand completely unconcerned and then pierced Orion with his
eyes and said angrily, �I give you a lot of leeway but make no mistake, you�re
in no position to deny me whatever I might want from you.�

Orion
narrowed his eyes at him but then smirked, �Care to have your fingertips
charred again?�

He knew
he had crossed the line when Voldemort�s eyes flashed in rage and his scar
burst in pain. Voldemort instantly grabbed Orion�s throat and squeezed it hard.

�Do that
again and I�ll crucio you until you�re begging for my mercy,� Voldemort hissed
furiously, �Never turn your powers against me, boy, or I�ll make you understand
why I�m the most feared wizard in the world.�

Orion had
to repress the urge to do exactly that. He felt his dark magic swirling in
anger inside of him, desiring to make its master�s fury known to the attacker.
But he calmed down and repeated his mental mantra of not unnecessarily anger
Voldemort. Not yet, anyway, not until he had completely controlled his powers
and being certain that he could defeat Voldemort. He was far from that point
still.

Voldemort
took his silence for compliance and said quietly, �You�ve been training your
powers. You�ll show me what you can do on a later date.� He released Orion�s
throat and added with a smirk, �Now, tell me why you asked Phineas about
Necromancers in the Black line.�

Orion
tensed and became aware of the fact that he hadn�t had the time to conceal that
part of the conversation. He could have hit himself against the wall for his
stupidity. He pulled a blank expression on his face and replied loftily, �I was
curious about the possibility. They teach it at Durmstrang on sixth year and I
wanted to know if there was any way that I might carry the ability in my blood.
But alas, he told me that the Blacks don�t have the power.�

Voldemort
eyed him suspiciously, �They don�t.� He smirked at Orion and added, �Too bad
for you that you can�t become one. You�re not as powerful as you believe
yourself to be, are you?�

Orion
repressed his sneer and shrugged his shoulders, �Guess I�m not, in that
aspect.� He looked at Voldemort and said quietly, �I should be going. Do you
have any requests for my mission of gathering information about Longbottom?�

�No,�
replied Voldemort, �But there�s something you�ll have to do. I understand that
you�re in first place while Longbottom is tied in for second.�

Orion
nodded. Barty seemed to have informed Voldemort already.

�Then I
want you to keep the other champions away from the Triwizard Cup,� said
Voldemort sternly, �Only allow Longbottom to take it.�

�What?�
said Orion shocked, �I�m taking it for Durmstrang! Headmaster Vagnarov is
depending on me to win it for our school�s honor-�

�I don�t
care what Vagnarov wants!� snapped Voldemort angrily, �You�ll do what I tell
you and leave the Cup for Longbottom. You won�t like the consequences if you
take the Cup yourself.�

This was
most unfair!, thought Orion angrily. After coming up first in all the tasks now
he had to give away the Cup to that pathetic boy?

Voldemort
caught Orion�s mutinous expression and forcefully grasped his shoulders while
he said sternly, �You will obey me in this!�

Orion
blinked. Was that- was that concern he detected in Voldemort�s voice? Orion
nodded and asked quietly, �So you�re attacking Hogwarts during the Last Task?�

Voldemort
narrowed his eyes at him but said calmly, �I won�t be involved. But something
will happen to remind Dumbledore that his precious school isn�t as safe as he
believes.�

Orion
grasped Voldemort�s arm and said frantically, �But what of my friends? What of
the Slytherins? Will they be in danger?�

Voldemort
sneered at him, �Be concerned about yourself, Orion. Once Longbottom takes the
Cup just stay away from what will happen and don�t interfere. The children of
my followers will be warned to stay in their dorms during the Final Task.�

Orion
sighed in relief, �Very well. I�ll do as you requested.�

�As you
should always do,� snapped Voldemort impatiently, �You have no business
second-guessing my commands!�

Orion
bristled but replied calmly, �Of course. Pardon me.�

Voldemort
shot him a suspicious glance and then sat himself on his armchair. As Orion
pointed his wand to his ring, Voldemort said nonchalantly, �Oh, and during this
summer the Lestranges will be training you.�

Orion
spun around to look at him, �What do you mean, train me? I�m already learning
the Dark Arts at Durmstrang!�

Voldemort
smirked at him, �But you want to be a worthy follower, don�t you? There�s much
they can teach you, especially Bella.� Then he added mockingly, �You�re hardly
Death Eater material right now and if you want to be my equal then you
will learn what they have to teach you and you�ll be grateful for it.�

Bella?
Orion groaned. He wasn�t looking forward to this summer then. He gave Voldemort
a curt nod and activated his portkey.

As soon
as he got into his bed he went through his meeting with Voldemort. There were
many things that confused him and the way that Voldemort changed moods around
him made him unpredictable and dangerous. He couldn�t decipher why Voldemort
acted that way with him. What was it that he wanted? Not an equal, Voldemort
had said, but then he dangled the possibility when he had spoken about the
training. And the continuous attempts to be physically close to him� why? Did
Voldemort suspect something about his identity? Had he felt the same weird
connection during the kiss? But Voldemort would have forced another kiss if he
believed it held any answers. Voldemort didn�t seem to know whatever Tom knew
and was keeping to himself. Voldemort came close to him and then withdrew,
always the same, always changing tactics. What was Voldemort planning to do
with him? But above all his uncertainties about Voldemort and his reasons one
thing had become clear: no matter how much he had trained his Occlumency skills
they weren�t enough against Voldemort�s mastery of Legilimency. And that was
dangerous indeed. He had bluffed when he said that if Voldemort attempted to
see his hidden memories he would counter-attack strongly enough, even if it
meant the destruction of his own mind while keeping his memories secret. He
couldn�t stop Voldemort if he truly tried to uncover everything his mind kept
locked up. Then the solution came into his mind. Lezander�s offer. But could he
really become Lez�s mate only to acquire natural Occlumency barriers? It wasn�t
fair to Lezander, especially since Orion knew that at some point he had to
marry someone else. And Calypso�s words to him had made him wonder if he could
still be with Lezander in the long-run. She had some valid points about the
inadequacy of them being together. Orion sighed. But he didn�t want to lose
Lezander. Lez was the only one who truly knew him and remained at his side in
spite of it. Was it selfish of him to want Lezander�s love without being
completely certain that he loved Lezander the same way? Yes, it was, but he
couldn�t help it; he didn�t want to be without Lezander at his side. But he
wouldn�t become his mate until he was certain that it was the only solution
left. If he perceived with enough time that Voldemort would cast Legilimens on
him he could defend himself with curses and block some of his memories. He
would become Lez�s mate if Voldemort persisted on legilimicing him and he would
beg for Lezander�s forgiveness if he ever found out that he was becoming his
mate for ulterior motives as well. He had to be practical and use anything at
his disposal. Lezander would understand and forgive him, wouldn�t he?

During
the second week of March, as Orion was returning back from the ship after long
evening hours of training his dark magic, he was halted from his progression
towards his dorm when Slytherin�s portrait hissed at him.

�My
heir, I need to sssspeak with you.�

Orion
looked around and after ascertaining that they were alone, he conjured the same
disillusionment bubble he had cast once before and stood close to the portrait.

�Lord
Ssslytherin, I hope you are well,� said Orion politely.

�Yessss,
yesss,� replied Slytherin dismissively. He regarded Orion silently and then
said, �I know you kept your promisssse and that you didn�t sssssummon
Orssssana. I didn�t feel her or hear her in the pipessss.� Orion nodded and
Slytherin continued, �I�ve decided to give you accessss to my legacy.�

Orion
raised an eyebrow and asked with interest, �Your legacy, ssssir?�

Slytherin
smirked at him, �My knowledge, boy. My life�sss work. My bookssss on
parsssselmagic, filled with ssssspellsss I created. Parsssssel-ssspellsss that
can only be casssst by parssssselmouthssss and even ssssspellssss that can only
be broken by the cassssster and not by any other parssssselmouth. Journalssss
that record my resssearch on the purity of dark blood and all my experimentssss
on the subject. I believe it�sssss only fair that you possssessss the ssssame
knowledge that I once gave to my other heir.�

�You
gave Tom Riddle your bookssss?� asked Orion in alarm.

�Yessss,�
grunted Slytherin, �but I only gave him accessss to my bookssss and
journalssss. They can�t be duplicated and they can�t leave the Chamber of
Ssssecretsssss; my wardsssss prevent it. You�ll have to read them there. They
are kept in my hidden private chambersssss. You�ll need to summon Orssssana
since she guardsssss the chamberssss and you have to addresssss my sssstatue
and say �Greatesssst of the Hogwartsss Four embrace your heir��

Orion
looked at him in delight, �Thank you, Lord Ssssslytherin, for the honor
you�re bestowing upon me. I don�t know how to repay you.�

Slytherin
pierced him with his ancient gaze and replied sternly,�Ussssse the knowledge
well. Usssssse it to help our kind dominate the light wizardssssss and
mudbloodssssss; to bring usssss to our former glory.�

Orion
bristled and hissed angrily, �Mudbloodsssss, sssssir? I thought you only
disssscriminated them becaussssse they repressssssented a breach to magical
communitiessss� ssssssecrecy. But the usssssse of that word indicatessssss a
prejudice that � �

�You
know nothing,� interrupted Slytherin curtly, �After you�ve read my
journalsssss and the conclussssionssss of my experimentssssss, you�ll
undersssstand. Until then, don�t dare accussssse me of unfounded bigotry, boy!�

Orion
frowned at him but replied politely, �Of coursssssse, pardon my
assssumptionsssss.�

Slytherin
eyed him with narrowed eyes and said, �You have sssssstill much to learn.
Tom at your age already knew the proper place for mudbloodsssss and
muggle-loversssss. The current light-dominated world hasssss already corrupted
you with their na�ve ignorant viewssssss. I hope for your ssssssake that my
booksssss will open your eyessssss.�

�And
what proper place issss that?� snapped Orion,�Ssssslaves to our kind?
Magically bound and subjugated to our whimsssss?�

�May
Mordred give you ssssssome sssssenssse, boy,� hissed Slytherin angrily, �I
won�t deign to debate with you the isssssue until you�ve read my booksssss. So
husssssh and heed my advice. Read my journalssss and form an educated
conclusion and sssstop ssssspouting at me the Light�sss idealsssss!�

Orion
bristled but replied calmly, �Very well. I�ll do asssss you asssssk.� A
problem cursed through his mind and he said,�But I�ll have problemsssss
accesssssing the Chamberssss of Sssssecretssss frequently. It would be very
susssspicioussss if they sssaw me going into the girlsssss bathroom frequently
and there are thossse who can sssssee through my disillusionment charm.�

Slytherin
scoffed, �Petty concernsssss sssssince you can apparate into the Chamber and
you�ll find a parsssel-ssspell that will fix your invissssibility problemssss
as well.�

�Apparate?�
asked Orion in surprise, �But you can�t apparate insssside Hogwartsssss�
groundsssss.�

Slytherin
smirked at him, �You can when you�re an heir to one of the Founderssssss and
a current student at Hogwartsssss. The Headmasssssster can apparate asssss well
since Hogwart'sss wardsss are linked to him, but he can�t apparate into the
Chamber of Ssssecretssss sssssince he doessssn�t sssshare my blood and
needlesssss to ssssay that he isssssn�t aware of itssss location.�

Orion
frowned, �About sssssharing your blood, I ssssstill doubt that I-�

�You
carry it,� hissed Slytherin impatiently, �I can�t believe that my heir
hassss Godric�ssss hardheadednessss. I hope that you don�t ssssshare any more
of hisssss annoying traitsssss. Anyway, you�ll convince yoursssself once you�ve
apparated into the Chamber sssuccessssfully.�

Orion
shrugged his shoulders in defeat and then asked with curiosity, �Can I
practice your ssssspellssss without detection insssside the Chamber? Will
Dumbledore ssssenssse the dark sssspellssss being cassssted?�

�He
won�t,� said Slytherin with a smug smirk, �The Chamber of Sssssecretssss
is heavily warded with blood magic and other ancient ssssspellssss. You can
practice freely without concernsssss.�

�Perfect,�
said Orion excitedly, �Thank you again for sssssharing your knowledge with
me.�

�You
need it more than I wassss aware of,� replied Slytherin curtly, �essssspecially
concerning the mudblood isssssue.�

Orion
refrained from commenting and bid Slytherin a good-night while he brought down
the disillusionment bubble.

As he
went to sleep that night, he planned on attempting to apparate into the Chamber
of Secrets the next day. He had never attempted to apparate before, after all,
they only gave you a license when you turned seventeen. But now it was
necessary and it would be useful to get out of sticky situations as well. He
wondered if it was very hard but he remembered that he had once escaped from
Dudley and his chums by fervently wishing to be somewhere else and that he had
inexplicably appeared on top of his school�s roof. It was clear that he had
done an accidental apparition. If he was able to do it when he was seven then
certainly it wouldn�t be too hard for him now, would it? And if he was truly
able to enter Slytherin�s private quarters then a wealth of information would
be at his disposal. But when would he have the time to read all of it? He had
four months before the Last Task and the end of his stay at Hogwarts and he
couldn�t skip classes or suspicions would be raised. He would only be able to
go during the night, while everyone slept. Orion sighed. He won�t be getting
more than two or three hours of sleep for the next four months but it was worth
it. He could prepare and drink Invigorating Draughts until he was finished with
the books. And who knew how many there were. He doubted that he would have the
time of finishing them all. But he would read the parselmagic books first and
then some of Slytherin�s journals. Orion�s eyes narrowed. That sly bastard, he
thought angrily. Tom hadn�t breathed a word about Slytherin�s hidden quarters
and his books. But of course he wouldn�t, after all, it gave Voldemort an
advantage over him, didn�t it? He fell asleep silently cursing Tom in his head
and vouching to extend Tom�s isolation a couple of more months than he had at
first intended after their row.
- 25
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The Black Heir